A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

No, it's not final exam time. Instead, it's a bonus installment prompted by the EmmyAwards. A third installment of the television honors for news and documentaries was held Monday and the big winner was PBS, who announced their victories in a press release: PBS Wins 17 News & Documentary Emmy® Awards, More Than Any Other Organization.

ARLINGTON, VA; September 29, 2015 – PBS programs were honored with 17 News & Documentary Emmy® Awards, more than any other organization, at the 36th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards presentation at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, Home of the New York Philharmonic, in New York City on September 28.

“On behalf of PBS and our member stations, congratulations to our all our programs and producers who were honored with News & Documentary Emmy Awards,” said Beth Hoppe, PBS Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming. “Our mission in public media is to shed light where others may not go--through in-depth investigative journalism, outstanding nature and natural history programming, and independent film--and our 2015 News & Documentary Award winners lead the way. These awards are a welcome recognition of our focus on distinctive content and speak to the extraordinary quality of programming being produced by public media. Congratulations to all of our winners and nominees.”

Acclaimed PBS series FRONTLINE earned six awards, followed by NATURE with four. FRONTLINE’s "United States of Secrets" and POV’s "After Tiller" were tied for Best Documentary.

Two of the statues taken home by Nature caught my attention, as they were for a show that one of my students used for his visual aid this spring, "Snow Monkeys." The episode won two awards, Outstanding Nature Programming and Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary and Long Form. Watch the clips from Nature on PBS to appreciate the craftsmanship of the program.

Japan's Jigokudani became a sensation when hot springs were constructed for the Hell Valley snow monkey troops. The monkeys get important help from the hot springs in the valley, fed by warm volcanic waters, but their survival is a communal effort in a complex society of rank and privilege where each knows their place.

Follow over the jump for two more clips along with another award-winning PBS show that I blogged about.

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

The ACLU of Michigan was in court on Monday, June 23 where a federal judge heard arguments in our lawsuit with the Insane Clown Posse. The lawsuit challenges the FBI's erroneous and arbitrary designation of all fans of ICP, known as Juggalos, as a "hybrid" criminal gang.

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of the Insane Clown Posse in their bid to get the FBI to remove the Detroit hip-hop duo's followers — known as "Juggalos" — from a gang list.
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The lawsuit, filed in January 2014 with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, was later tossed out by a district court in Michigan after it found the plaintiffs had failed to show they suffered any injuries.

But the federal appeals court on Thursday reversed that district court's decision and ordered that the case be considered.

ICP saw this as a major victory, as seen in Rolling Stone's quote from the band's statement.

“We're thankful that the Juggalo family will finally get their day in court," the duo said in a statement on their official site following Thursday's ruling. "Discrimination against someone based solely upon the type of music they listen to is just flat out wrong and it’s time that the legal system acknowledges that. The FBI's labeling of Juggalos as a gang has wreaked havoc on thousands of lives, resulting in job losses, dismissal from military service, eviction, lost child custody and constant harassment and profiling from law enforcement organizations all across the country."

This could still take a while, as no court date has been set. Stock up on popcorn, as the suit may be even more entertaining than an ICP concert.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Tonight, I'm going to do something I don't recall having done since I wrote Blog Recommendation: The Hipcrime Vocab--recommend a blog. Then, it was Chad (yes, that's really his first name) AKA "escapefromwisconsin" who writes The HipcrimeVocab. This time, it's Paul Wartenberg of You Might Notice a Trend. Both Chad and Paul reflect aspects of my blog, Chad the dark (but not evil) side of my interests, employment, agriculture, energy, economy, politics, and collapse, and Paul the light side, including humor, pop culture, and politics, albeit from an more optimistic perspective than Chad. Put the two of them together and the result would look a lot like me writing this blog.

Here's to hoping the same thing will happen to Paul that happened to Chad. When I recommended The Hipcrime Vocab three years ago, the blog had only ten followers. Now, it has 118. May Paul have at least 50 by the general election next year. So, will you join me at You Might Notice a Trend? Come for the drinking games, stay for the bumper stickers!

Thursday, September 24, 2015

When I last reported on the local gasoline market, I observed that the gas price spike was a dead cat bounce. The stations in my old neighborhood were all selling regular for $2.24. I followed that with twoentries about the lowest gas prices for Labor Day in 11 years. I then passed along that gas was already below $2 near Grand Rapids and that GasBuddy showed the stations in my former neighborhood all selling regular for $2.19. I never actually saw those prices, but I did see enough to say that they rose and are now falling.

Last Thursday, all the stations in my old stomping grounds were selling regular for $2.37. I decided not to fill up, as I expected prices to fall. They did. Tuesday, the corner station listed regular for $2.27 and the two stations down the street displayed $2.29 for regular. I filled up Pearl at the corner station and not a moment too soon, as the dashboard display said the car had only two miles of gas left. This is exactly where the price should be, as the Detroit average is currently $2.37. That's up from earlier this month, both from the $2.31 just before Labor Day and from the $2.24 on the 16th. Therefore, I don't expect prices to go down this week.

Early next week might be another story. Oil-Price.Net lists yesterday's closes for WTI and Brent at $44.48 and $47.75 respectively, close to the lows for the month so far for both. In addition, RBOB is selling for $1.38, two cents lower than the first week of September. Whatever is driving up the price of gas in Detroit, it's not the wholesale price of fuel. Consequently, I'm still expecting either the price in my old neighborhood or the average price in Detroit to fall below $2.00 between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Summer warmth has visited many parts of the country this September, but fall is finally in the air as we near the autumnal equinox. This year’s equinox occurs Sept. 23 at 4:21 a.m. Eastern time. At that time, the sun can be seen directly overhead along Earth’s equator, marking the beginning of astronomical fall in the Northern Hemisphere.

The fall equinox is one of only two days each year when all points on Earth outside the polar regions see the sun rise and set at due east and due west, along the horizon. And since neither hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, all latitudes see almost exactly 12 hours of daylight and darkness (though not quite).

In a brief speech clearly meant to denigrate poll leader Donald Trump, Walker cited his hero Ronald Reagan to explain his decision. "Ronald Reagan was good for America because he was an optimist," he said. "Sadly, the debate taking place in the Republican Party today is not focused on that optimistic view of America. Instead, it has drifted into personal attacks."

"Today," he continued, "I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive conservative message can rise to the top of the field." And he called on other candidates to quit too, so that "a positive conservative alternative to the current frontrunner" could emerge.

As for my reaction, as I wrote in a comment at Michigan Liberal, I thought he'd last until the Iowa Caucuses, but I guess losing support and running out of money has convinced him to give up early. That written, I'm glad he's gone. I've never liked Governor Recall and found him to be the candidate most threatening to me. I'm an educator and union member, two categories that he beat up on in Wisconsin. Fortunately, it looks like he won't be able to export his bad solutions. Good riddance!

Monday, September 21, 2015

I'll have to wait until tomorrow night to see if "Game of Thrones" wins its seven remaining categories, "American Horror Story" wins its remaining four, and "Last Man on Earth" wins any of its three.
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Stay tuned for another post about tonight's awards program in which I plan to follow up on the shows and performers I listed as my favorites in 2015 Critics' Choice Awards, Speculative Fiction, Politics, Crime, and History. Here's hoping at least some of them win.

After winning eight (8) awards at last week's Creative Arts Emmys, HBO's Game of Thrones continued its hot streak at the Primetime Emmys to officially win the most Emmys of any series in a single year, with 12.

The previous record holder was The West Wing, which won nine Emmy awards in 2002 (its first season).

Congratulations to "Game of Thrones." The show and its cast and crew deserved the accolades.

All that is the good news for Speculative Fiction. The bad news is that "American Horror Story" and "The Last Man on Earth" were shut out last night. I think my wife and I should do what I wrote in 'The Walking Dead' at Comic-Con, the Emmys, and the Saturn Awards and join the Saturn Awards as an out-of-town member so we can vote for the shows and performers we like. I'll make that one of my New Year's resolutions.

Unfortunately, that was pretty much it for live-action speculative fiction last Sunday night. Both "Penny Dreadful" and "The Walking Dead" were shut out; two of the latter's nominations went either to "Game of Thrones" (stunts and sound editing) and two to "American Horror Story" (special effects and makeup) while Penny Dreadful's categories went to "American Horror Story" (makeup), "Transparent" (theme music), and "House of Cards" (music composition). The closest "The Walking Dead" got was Chris Hardwick, who hosts "Talking Dead," winning Social TV Experience for "@Midnight." At least I can be happy for Chris, who deserves an award for his work somewhere.

The only other other Speculative Fiction show that won an award was "Adventure Time," which was crowned "Outstanding Short-Form Animated Program." Good choice, but otherwise nothing. I'll have to wait until tomorrow night to see if "Game of Thrones" wins its seven remaining categories, "American Horror Story" wins its remaining four, and "Last Man on Earth" wins any of its three. That's pretty much it for SF tomorrow.

Ahoy, me hearties! September the 19th be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. We've pillaged the DCI video archive on this occasion and wish you all to take part in our booty—a clip of the Madison Scouts shanty from nineteen-hundred and ninety-seven, "The Pirates of Lake Mendota." Yo-ho-ho!

While they may be judged for a mere eleven and a half minutes, the Madison Scouts began their performance as soon as they marched onto the track and ended it only when the last member disappeared behind the back stands. The corps held the crowd in the palm of its hand from the beginning of the company front entrance into the fleur-de-lis and neverlet it go. Even during the warm-up, during which the corps marched into the opening set, the guard was acting out its parts, particularly one gentleman who strode slowly but purposefully from the left front corner of the field to the front of the "ship". Then the show proper began, with the pirates--oops, guard (yes, they play their roles that convincingly)--storming the "ship", stealing the show during its opening minute from the musicians. This was almost a shame, as the brass played with tremendous proficiency and showmanship, the percussion tackled a flashy and challenging rudimental book with great precision and flair, and all the musicians marched an engrossing drill, complete with braking waves, with immense poise and control. However, the guard was a treat to observe, especially during four parts of the show. First came the drunken sailor sequence, complete with an inebriated runt trying to pick a fight with a much larger man, which the fans found extremely amusing. Then, there was a rifle-saber exchange. Two moments came during the final selection. First, the guard moved from stage left to front and center to perform some swashbuckling equipment work. Then there was the mutiny sequence at the very end, complete with a swordfight on top of the rotating percussion stand and a duel to the death between Captain Zak Schwartz and a usurper. The audience gave the new captain and the company front that he led a standing ovation, which barely ended before the most enthusiastic standing ovation of the night as the Scouts concluded the judged portion of their performance.

(Steve Burstall pointed out the full performance from entering to exiting the stadium. The looting of Zak, who is a student from Eastern Michigan University, was something, as was his being carried off by the last marching member.)

As you can tell, I really enjoyed this performance. It helped that I knew one of the performers, so I could give the review a personal touch.

Michigan's largest solar energy installation is now up and running, and Ann Arbor Township holds the bragging rights.

Under a bright, sunny sky, DTE Energy and Domino's Farms celebrated the new 1.1-megawatt array just outside Ann Arbor on Tuesday.

Big enough to cover the football field at Michigan Stadium, the 4,000-plus panels that now cover 9.37 acres of Domino's Farms property are visible from the highway on the north side of M-14 west of Earhart Road near the U.S. 23 interchange.

According to DTE, the photovoltaic panels have the capacity to generate enough solar energy to power nearly 200 homes at any given time.

I drove past this installation last July during a class field trip and was impressed by the sight. I would have reported on it in a fieldtripupdate except that something else took priority. Better late than never, especially now that it's finished.

That's not all.

DTE also is constructing a 750-kilowatt solar array in Romulus and planning an 800-kilowatt array in Ypsilanti, among other projects.

The company's entire renewable energy portfolio, including wind and biomass, is now capable of generating nearly 1,000 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 400,000 homes, company officials said Tuesday. The portfolio includes facilities owned and operated by DTE, along with contracts to purchase power from facilities owned and operated by third-party developers in Michigan.

Follow over the jump for even bigger and better news about the future of solar power in Michigan.

Dr. Hawking expresses the ultimate reason why I support space exploration. Not only is it a sign of an advancing technological civilization, it's a way to avoid collapse altogether. There are worse consequences from the archetypalscience-fictiontragicplot of withdrawing from space than mere loss of technological superiority. It could ultimately lead to extinction.

Follow over the jump for how another Crazy Eddie, Elon Musk, thinks we might be able to colonize Mars.

Brooklynites can’t vote on Super Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a little Santorum.

A Fourth Avenue watering hole is pouring a delightfully sinful drink named after Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum — and the dirty Google problem that has haunted him ever since he irked syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage.

“People really like it even though it’s named after something gross — both the person and the Dan Savage meaning,” said John Rauschenberg, co-owner of Pacific Standard. “It’ll be an election fixture at least until primary season is over.”

The duo behind the beer hole near St. Mark’s Place often put out cocktails with suggestive names, such as the Corn Holed Fashioned or Mike Gallego’s Cup.

But the Santorum, a milky mixture of Baileys, orange vodka, bitters and chocolate flakes, seems to be sticking....“When he was winning in the polls, I thought, ‘OK, I’ll do a Santorum,’” said Jon Stan, co-owner and creator of the scandalous social lubricant. “We’ll keep it around until he’s irrelevant. I hope he’s there the whole way.”

Since Santorum is running again and will be participating in tonight's early debate, he's relevant again, so it's time to revive this drink. Follow over the jump for more media coverage of this brown frothy concoction.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

For what it's worth, the snarky Taiwanese animators have not yet put together a video about Courser and Gamrat. I've asked if they could. I'm sure the results would be hilarious, but I'm content to wait.

Monday, September 14, 2015

A recent study has attempted to answer the question as to what happens to the iciest continent if fossil fuel use continues apace. The answer is alarming: all of Antarctica’s ice would melt—and take down much of human civilization with it.

If we use all the world's fossil fuels, we're likely to melt all the ice on Antarctica. And what's left would barely resemble the Earth as we know it. A study in Science Advances notes that burning all the world's presently-existing oil, coal, and natural gas would raise global temperatures so high that all of Antarctica's ice would melt—resulting in a sea level rise of at least 160 feet. But if temperatures reached such a point, the rest of the world's land ice would likely melt as well. This could result in a sea level rise of over 200 feet. Gone would be Paris, London, Tokyo, Beijing, New York, Washington, New Orleans and Houston—to name but a few. The process would take a while—the study mapped out ten thousand years of carbon release—but half of the melting could occur in the next thousand years and this could result in sea levels rising around a foot per decade. Climate scientist Ken Caldeira noted, “We’re not a subtle influence on the climate system—we are really hitting it with a hammer.”

I think this is an extreme case. I doubt we'll be able to burn all the fossil fuel on the planet, as some of it, such as oil shale and the deeper tar sands deposits, will probably be uneconomic to exploit. I expect we'll move off of fossil fuels by then, either by moving to advanced renewables (electricity generation by wind and solar) and fusion (should we be so lucky) or modern industrial civilization collapsing and the survivors moving to primitive renewables (biomass, passive solar, and wind and water for mechanical energy). Either way, I don't expect humans will be able to melt all of Antarctica, even in 5,000 years. However, things are bad enough and getting worse as climate change is happening at record pace and 20-40 feet of sea level rise in the next 500 years or less (including 5-10 feet by the end of the century) is not out of the question even if we stop burning fossil fuels tomorrow. We should prepare for that future and attempt what we can to make it less dangerous now.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

It's in between the summer and fall TV seasons. Shows like "Falling Skies," "Defiance,""The Last Ship," "Wayward Pines," and other summer TV fare have finished their seasons and the regular season TV shows haven't started up for the fall. Fortunately, two shows that both depict a science-fiction undead apocalypse are filling the void on Sunday nights, "Fear the Walking Dead" and "The Strain." For Entertainment Sunday, I'm sharing what Vox has to say about tonight's collapse-and-decline-related shows.

Most stories of the apocalypse skip us quickly past the early stages, where the worst could have been averted. There's good reason for this. The really interesting stuff usually involves how the characters survive, or what happens when society begins to rebuild.

Because it's a TV show, though, Fear the Walking Dead is taking its time. In my early review of the season, I called this a "slow-pocalypse," and "So Close, Yet So Far," the show's second episode, underlines this approach.

The episode has its bigger sequences — especially a protest against police treatment of a homeless man (who was, presumably, a turned zombie) — but it's mostly a very quiet episode about people realizing the world is going to hell all around them.

That's as bad as I imagined Atlanta looking in the early days of the outbreak, when Rick was still in a coma and the action skipped ahead a month.

As for episode 2, it helped the viewers that they know what's coming and what to look for. As for the characters, the poor souls have no clue other than Nick the addicted son, who was the first of the group to see a walker. The second time he encountered one, he knew what to do, running it over repeatedly. As my wife said, "Rick Grimes would be proud." We have to watch the rest as they catch on.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced Friday he is suspending his presidential campaign, making him the first Republican candidate to end his 2016 White House bid.

"I am suspending my campaign for the presidency of the United States," Perry is expected to say, according to prepared remarks announcing the end of his campaign. He said in a statement: "We have a tremendous field - the best in a generation - so I step aside knowing our party is in good hands, and as long as we listen to the grassroots, the cause of conservatism will be too."

"I share this news with no regrets. It has been a privilege and an honor to travel this country, to speak with the American people about their hopes and dreams, to see a sense of optimism prevalent despite a season of cynical politics."

That wasn't all. Follow over the jump for Perry's parting shots at Trump, who stands to benefit from Perry's exit, and the effects on the debate.

On the campaign trail, Republican presidential candidates vow to roll back new U.S. education standards known as the Common Core.

In the classroom, the multi-state guidelines increasingly look like they're here to stay.

Since they were adopted by 46 states five years ago, the Common Core standards have become a symbol of Big Government overreach for conservatives.

Yet despite years of effort, Common Core's critics have largely failed to repeal the standards, which aim to emphasize critical thinking over rote memorization.

Looks like another good windmill for them to tilt against. Personally, I'm in favor of Common Core, but I find the agitation against the standards more amusing than aggravating. That's the political lesson for today.

Eleven US states have either passed laws or amended the Common Core curriculum to require teachers to cover cursive handwriting in elementary schools. This came in response to the Common Core standards, released in 2010, which require keyboarding skills, but do not mention handwriting or cursive specifically. Advocates for cursive instruction worry that kids will not be able to read founding documents like the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence if they don't learn cursive. But it appears that they are fighting the inevitable.

My answer to the question posed in the first image is that cursive is dying, but it's not dead yet. After all...

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Looks like I'm not done with low andstill fallinggas prices. First, I promised Limbo Kitty next time. It's the next time, so Limbo Kitty returns. Next, I predicted gas below $2.00 between Halloween and Thanksgiving. That's here in metro Detroit. In the outlying towns around Grand Rapids, that's already happened, as WOOD-TV reported Monday in Gas below $2/gallon in some cities Monday.

Experts say Monday’s gas prices were the lowest West Michigan has seen on Labor Day in almost a decade.

I always glad to see Patrick DeHaan interviewed; he is probably my favorite expert on gas prices. Speaking of GasBuddy, it's showing the stations in my former neighborhood all selling regular for $2.19. I said they'd drop their prices, and they did. Right now, they're exactly a dime below the Detroit average of $2.29, which means they are currently competitively and appropriately priced. Even so, prices should continue to drop, as the cheapest station in metro Detroit is selling regular for $1.95. The average might dip below $2.00 before Halloween, but I'm not making that prediction yet.

The oil markets may push that along, though. WTI ended trading last Thursday at $46.75 with Brent at $50.68. Oil-Price.Net shows that both have declined since, with WTI closing Tuesday at $45.94 and Brent at $49.52. Not only is oil down, but so is RBOB, which fell more than a penny to close at $1.40. That will support gas below $2.00 in the lower overhead markets. Whether Detroit is one of them remains to be seen. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

I posted the following as a comment on There Goes Europe at Kunstler's blog yesterday morning.

"You might think we would look at this cheap oil as an opportunity to build a world less dependent on oil, but instead we look on it as an opportunity to purchase gas guzzlers — the American Way will not be negotiated! Freedom!"

Monday, September 7, 2015

Normally, I'd look ahead to my goals for this month, but I've already exceeded them. My minimum goal was 389 page views per day for a total of 12,059 page views for the month on no more than 44 entries. The low goal was 402 per day for a total of 12,462. My medium goal shot for a five percent increase over last year with 12,679 for the month via 409 per day. The high goal was to reach 13,000 for the month to extend the streak, which would have taken 420 page views per day. I hit the first on the 22nd and knocked out the rest on succeeding days. I'm now at just over 14,000 with three days to go. I can coast on one entry per day for a total of 38 posts and still set a new monthly record for page views. Stay tuned to see if that happens.

It did. The blog received 14,981 page views for 38 entries over 31 days, resulting in averages of 489.26 page views per day and 394.24 page views per entry. All of those are new records. There were also 41 comments, the most since February 2014, and a new record for the year. I was right to be optimistic for more.

To celebrate these records, I'm sharing the top posts for the month, beginning with the most "liked" on Google Plus. This month, it was "Donald Trump dance remix" posted August 18, 2015, which has 10 pluses on 65 page views. For once, it didn't earn those "likes" by being shared at a community. Instead, it got attention from my profile only. It's the first of four posts about The Penguin Donald in this month's retrospective. Keep reading for more.

Follow over the jump for the top ten entries, both overall and those posted during August, along with entries earning the most comments, which also happened to be among the most viewed.

I'm not alone. WXYZ shared some Labor Day fun for the station's viewers this morning.

It hit all the highlights--Arts, Beats, and Eats in Royal Oak, Detroit Jazz Fest, and what passes for Michigan's State Fair. Those of you in metro Detroit, enjoy this holiday in honor of America's workers. It's definitely still summer, at least for today. Tomorrow, it's back to school in Michigan.
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A couple of Minnesota lawmakers are scrambling for cover after news they were busted for allegedly making out in a car park late last month recently leaked out.

Lawmakers Tim Kelly and Tara Mack who are both married, but not to each other, vehemently deny the accusation, contained in a public nuisance citation from a park ranger.

The citation stems from an incident that took place at around 4.30pm on August 25 in a Lebanon Hills Regional Park parking lot in Eagan.

Dakota County Parks Ranger Jordan Moses said he approached two vehicles that were illegally parked, where he found the male occupant of the vehicle, Kelly, 'was making out with female in car. When I approached the female's pants were unzipped and pulled down.'

What's with Republican lawmakers in states beginning with MI?

At least one Michigan legislator is taking no chances of being caught up in this mess, as MLive reports.

Michigan state Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, took to Facebook to clear up any confusion: "Apparently there is a State Rep in Minnesota making the news named Tim Kelly who's philandering with another elected official, much like MI's own Courser/Gamrat fiasco. THIS IS NOT ME!!!!"

Thanks for clearing that up.

For what it's worth, the snarky Taiwanese animators have not yet put together a video about Courser and Gamrat. I've asked if they could. I'm sure the results would be hilarious, but I'm content to wait.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Five people in Michigan have tested positive for West Nile virus, WDIV-TV reported Friday morning. Three of them have active cases of the disease, while two others donated blood that contained the virus, but show no symptoms.

Two of the active cases occurred in southeast Michigan, one each in Macomb and Monroe counties. The third was identified from Ottawa County on the west side of the state. These are the first confirmed human cases in the state for 2015.

In a statement quoted by the Detroit News, Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said “We have clear evidence that West Nile virus is present in the state again this summer. Even late in the season, remembering to take a few minutes to protect ourselves and our loved ones from mosquito bites when outside can make a big difference.”

The two people whose blood tested positive also came from southeast Michigan. One was reported from Wayne County and another from Oakland County.

A few days ago, the Detroit average was $2.86. According to Gas Buddy, it's now $3.03, the highest price of the year. Given that Oil-Price.Net lists yesterday's close for [WTI] as $42.50, and the close the day before was $42.25, a dollar lower than it had been the last time I checked, that does come off as outrageous.

All of that price spike and then some have now disappeared, as Gas Buddy lists the Detroit average as $2.31. I could tell it was finished earlier this week, when I was able to buy regular in my new neighborhood for $2.39, which was the metro Detroit average at the time. A few days earlier, I coudn't find regular anywhere near me for less than $2.74.

Gas was even cheaper in my old neighborhood. When I was last there, regular sold for $2.54, a low enough price to make me declare Limbo Kitty returns as oil and gas fall more to close July. Prices had declined to $2.41 before spiking in time for Dream Cruise, but that was all gone yesterday, when I found all the stations in my old stomping grounds selling regular for $2.24. That might actually be overpriced, as the stations historically set their price a dime below the metro area average, so they could drop it down to $2.21. One station a few miles away is already selling regular for $2.19, so the gas war is on.

As for what the near-term future holds, I'll repeat what I wrote three years ago: Eye spy the gas price rollercoaster about to coast down like a parachute. This is despite oil prices bouncing off their lows for the year so far. Ten days ago, WTI closed below $40 and Brent about $42.50.* Yesterday, WTI ended trading at $46.75 and Brent at $50.68. They may be up eight dollars in a little over a week, but those are still low enough prices to support regular below $2.00 during winter. Seasonal trends will make sure of that, especially after Labor Day, which is only three days away. When they do, watch for another return of Limbo Kitty.

*I should probably comment on the state of the stock market. Be patient; I shall.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

I've been neglecting a good sex scandal that's been brewing here in Michigan over the past few weeks, the one involving Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat, two Tea Party politicians that have been caught having an affair while in office. It's time to remedy that oversight, beginning with WXYZ's Report finds misconduct, misuse of funds by Reps. Courser and Gamrat.

A report from the Michigan House Business Office found misconduct and misuse of funds by both Reps. Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser.

1. Representatives Courser and Gamrat are not credible witnesses.
2. Courser and Gamrat committed misconduct in office that warrants further investigation and review, including numerous instances of deceptive, deceitful, and outright dishonest conduct, lack of respect for constituents, and abuse of the office of State Representative.
3. Courser and Gamrat misused state resources to an extent that warrants further investigation and review; the two improperly used state resources for political, business, and personal purposes.
4. The evidence is insufficient to conclude that Ben Graham or Keith Allard were wrongfully terminated or subject to a hostile work environment.

Three findings that allow Michigan's version of Major Burns and Hot Lips Houlihan to be hung out to dry and a fourth that protects the state from action by their ex-employees. As the Church Lady would say, "How convenient!"

Follow over the jump for another video from WXYZ, an analysis of the scandal, and more smart-aleck comments of mine from Michigan Liberal.

WALLINGFORD, IOWA -A new, hopeful third force in American politics has thrown his hat into the ring for next year's Presidential election, just when we thought the race was gonna be another routine two horse slog.

Once Deez Nuts entered the presidential race we knew we had to make a drink for him! Check out this cocktail...DEEZ NUTS!!!
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DEEZ NUTS FOR PRESIDENT FISHBOWL
Baileys Irish Cream
Vanilla Vodka
Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
Frangelico
Butterscotch Schnapps

Learning goes well beyond the classroom walls. There are so many lessons at your fingertips on the Web. Want to learn how to remodel your bathroom? Read a DIY blog. How about find a new recipe for your upcoming dinner party? Try a food blog. Want to learn yoga? You can at home with how-to videos.

This month, in honour of back-to-school time, we're going to focus on lessons: what you've learned over the years as well as what you can teach others. We'll have roundups where you can share your favourite lessons you've learned online, and we'll do our own back-to-school fashion show via our blogs.

It's back-to-school, people. Open those books... er... blogs.
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Let's learn a lesson together this month.

As I wrote, it's natural for me and a perfect transition from August's theme of KNOW. After all, I'm an educator and I use this blog to research the topics I explore in class. I even post lessons here.